You Know I Need You (You Are Mine #4) - Willow Winters Page 0,59

in fairytales.”

She lets out a small laugh and wraps her arms around my shoulders. That’s what I’m after. That’s all I’m after.

“I love you, babe,” I tell her, and she leans in for a small kiss.

“I love you too … I just hate seeing you anything other than happy.”

“I’ll be better when this is over with,” I say, bringing up the one thing I don’t want to speak about. She kisses me soft and sweet, and it feels right. She’s a balm to my soul, but it doesn’t take the pain away.

She doesn’t release me like I think she will. Instead she holds on tighter.

“I’m worried about you,” she whispers against my lips.

I brush my nose against hers. “It’s not supposed to work that way.”

Her green eyes peek up at me through her thick lashes and she says, “Yeah it is. It works both ways. Don’t you know that by now?”

Chapter 27

Kat

“I thought we were just going to order out,” Evan says from across the table. The silverware clinks in his hand as he picks up the white cloth napkin and lays it on his lap.

The Savinga Grill has always been one of my favorite restaurants since I first discovered it years ago. With exposed dark red brick, raw wood beams, and high ceilings, it’s rustic, it’s cozy, and it’s only a cab ride away.

That’s what I told Evan to get him here when he asked where I wanted to go. Just a cab ride away.

I shrug and say, “I wanted to go out.”

“It makes me nervous,” he tells me. I know it does. I realize this is a risk and one he didn’t want to take, but time is not on our side and I’ve waited long enough.

I lay my hand on the table, palm up, and wait for him to take it. “Mason said you need to be seen.”

“Me, not us.” He emphasizes the word “us.”

“It’s part of us moving forward together.” The smile on my lips is small but it’s still there. “I won’t let someone keep me from you or us from our lives.”

His lips twitch with a response, but he doesn’t say anything. Two weeks have passed since I told him we were pregnant. Two weeks came and went, and I’m officially in our second trimester now.

“We tried this your way, now we try it mine,” I tell him, and my words come out hard.

“And your way is to go out and risk being seen?”

“I want us to go out, yes … like we used to.” My answer is blunt as I pull my napkin across my lap. “I’m not going to hide away in some dark room and let my fear cripple me.” My voice is stern but also sympathetic. “If someone wants to know if we’re together, let them know.” He woke up last night with sweat pouring down his face. He was screaming in his sleep. I refuse to play this psychological game. I’m going to be there for my husband. I’m going to do everything I can to make him better. And that means not hiding and not being scared.

I’ll be strong for him. I’ll be strong for us both. At this point I don’t know what to think of his ex-boss or how Tony died. I know my husband is letting his fear kill him, though. It’s shoved itself between us and I can’t let that happen anymore. He refuses to go to the cops. He’s not ready to see a psychologist. I’m okay with that, but I’m not okay with nothing changing for the better.

“I won’t let a single person keep us from moving on with our lives. That means being together and going to my favorite restaurant to celebrate.”

I flash him a smile as the waiter walks over to us. Like this conversation doesn’t put me on edge.

It’s quiet while the water is being poured, and stays that way except for the waiter informing us of specials and handing us a pair of menus.

It’s only when he leaves us that I continue what I was saying.

“Yes, I want us to be seen. I also want to celebrate being pregnant. I want to buy a new house, a bigger one closer to the park.” My fingertips play along the stem of the water goblet and I rest my elbow on the table as I talk while reading the menu, even though I already know what I want. “I want to slow down with work and I want the world